Iraqi forces capture 5 top ISIS leaders in cross-border raid



A Pentagon spokesman, Marine Maj. Adrian J.T. Rankine-Galloway, said the U.S. credited Iraqi security forces with the militants’ capture “on the Iraq-Syria border.”

“These arrests are a significant blow to ISIS as we continue to remove its leadership and fighters from the battlefield,” Rankine-Galloway said.

Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, prepare for an assault against ISIS forces in the vicinity of Deir al-Zour. (YPG Press Office)
US-backed Syrian fighters spotted in MRAPs prior to ISIS assault

Kurdish forces, called the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, flaunted a mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle over social media Tuesday — an up-armored gun truck specifically designed to resist improvised explosive devices, but not previously authorized for provision to U.S.-backed forces.




Earlier this month the coalition announced a drive to clear the final pockets of ISIS territory inside Syria.

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted about the anti-ISIS raid Thursday, saying those arrested were the “five most wanted” ISIS “leaders.” It was unclear what criteria, if any, Trump was using to describe the ISIS operatives as the “five most wanted.”

A U.S. national security official said there were no indications that the operation had captured Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS who has long been the coalition’s top target. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the targets publicly and requested anonymity.


None of the statements released Thursday from the president or the coalition named the ISIS fighters arrested.


Now, with the group’s physical caliphate largely destroyed, anti-ISIS operations are increasingly focused on targeting the extremists’ remaining leadership.

Lederman reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report.

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